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Metra Monthly Commuter Newsletter June 2018
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Metra will test new day pass, consolidate
outer zones to increase ridership
The Metra Board of Directors has agreed to test a new day pass, the consolidation of Metra’s outer zones and the reassignment of certain stations to a closer zone as part of an effort to attract riders and simplify its fare structure. The ideas were among recommendations that emerged from a fare policy study that began in 2016.
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New BNSF Line schedule starts June 11
Customer feedback has been tallied and a revised schedule for Metra’s BNSF Line will take effect Monday, June 11. Metra revamped the schedule for its busiest line due to the requirements of the new Positive Train Control (PTC) safety system. In crafting the revisions, Metra considered the comments of more than 2,000 people who emailed the agency after reviewing a proposed schedule unveiled in March.
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TEMPERATURE CONTROL
What is the heating and air-conditioning policy on Metra trains? On April 25, I boarded inbound UP-W Train 18 at Winfield around 6:17 a.m. The outside temperature was around 40 degrees. The car I boarded was very cold; I touched the heating unit and verified that it was cold. I figured that maybe the current car had a problem, so I moved to a different car. Just as cold, verified that the heater wasn’t turned on. I asked the conductor if the heater was going to be turned on, and he said he would check on it. By the time we reached Chicago, the heater was still just as cold as when I boarded. Last year we had the reverse problem; the weather had turned sunny and hot, but the air conditioning wasn’t turned on. I personally had to loosen shirt buttons, untuck my shirt, roll my pant legs up and roll my socks down in an effort to stay cool. I was actually worried that people with medical problems might get heat stroke. This situation lasted for two days; on the third day, the air conditioning was finally turned on. So, what is the climate control policy? I couldn’t find it on the Internet.
John
Obviously, the heat should have been on that day and we’re sorry. We did forward your email to Union Pacific Railroad’s Mechanical Department for their attention. In cases like this, please use the “Contact Us” form on our website (metrarail.com) to call attention to the issue; messages sent through that form are monitored daily while the Bi-Level email address is not. Now to answer your question about our climate control policy, the thermostat in each railcar is preset and not accessible to the crew. They only have access to a switch that allows them to set the car for heat or A/C but not to set the temperature. The system should be switched on before the cars depart on a run. If the system’s set on heat, the target temp is 72-74 degrees. Additionally, there are two heating systems in a railcar: overhead heat and the floor heat (sidewall heaters). The overhead heat is the hot air you feel coming out of the vents, and it cycles between low and high to combat the cold air that enters the car each time the doors open. The sidewall heaters cycle between low heat and off during normal operations depending on the requirements of the thermostat. The sidewall heat should not be constantly on, so it would be easy to think it’s not working. However, if the system was turned on, there could have been a problem with either the thermostat or the heating elements. The A/C systems are also checked daily by mechanical forces during the season and when they do fail, we try to take the car out of service as quickly as possible. However, because we have a very low number of spare cars in our fleet, we sometimes aren’t able to take a car out of service immediately without causing crowding. Also, an A/C system that was operational when the car left the yard can fail before it reaches the station for its run. It doesn’t take long on a hot day for the heat to build up inside a metal clad railcar. We encourage everyone to report heating or cooling issues through our website so that we can quickly address it.
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TIME FOR "THANKS"
Just realized that I’ve been commuting on the Milwaukee West Line for 30 years now. I still prefer to ride vs. driving. I’m thankful to your excellent crew that takes us back and forth. Their jobs aren’t easy ones, but they handle themselves very professionally and always greet us with a pleasant smile on a daily basis. Milwaukee District West Line conductors Peter, Juan, Efren, Ricky, Tony, Brian, Kevin, Chaz, Eddie, Mark, Bertucci and our great Ms. Glenda. This is my way of saying “Thank you.”
Maria
We appreciate you taking the time to call out our West Line conductors for their professionalism and good cheer, and we definitely appreciate your loyalty to our service. Our train crews are the public face of Metra and we work hard to provide them with the tools they need to provide good customer service in a work environment that presents daily challenges because we know that the attitude they bring to their jobs can make or break the commute for many of our customers.
ON THE LEFT
Here’s an operational question that maybe you have answered in the past: Why does what is now the UP West (the former Chicago & North Western) Line operate with left-handed running?
Neal
You’re right, we’ve answered that before, but we are happy to answer again. All three UP lines operate that way. The most plausible theory is that the lines originally had a single track when they were built more than 100 years ago, with the depots on the left side (as you head downtown). When a second track was added, it was easiest to put it to the right of the first track, since the depots were taking up space on the left side. But the first track remained the inbound track, because a.) the depots were all on that side, and you want the sheltered waiting areas for inbound riders since most people waiting at the station are heading downtown, and b.) the railroad didn’t want to pay or couldn’t afford to pay to move the depot buildings or build overpasses or underpasses. There are some who believe that engineers from England designed the railway, or English investors funded it, but the historical society of the old Chicago & North Western could find no evidence of that.
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Ride Metra to Ravinia
Music lovers can tune out the stress of traffic and parking by taking Metra’s UP North Line to Ravinia Park’s front gate this summer. Anyone planning to attend Ravina’s 2018 concerts can board the UP North Line at Ogilvie Transportation Center or any other station along the line to reach the world-renowned park. Metra is offering a special $8 round-trip pass on all trains to and from Ravinia Park after 1:30 p.m. The pass can be purchased at stations or on the train.
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Kids ride free Memorial Day to Labor Day
Up to three children age 11 and under will be able to ride free with a fare-paying adult from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day as part of Metra’s expanded Family Fares program. “A trip on Metra is a great opportunity to spend time together as a family without having to worry about traffic and parking,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “Plus, on weekends, Metra’s $10 Weekend Pass gives you another reason to hop on the train this summer.”
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Metra's Safety Culture
The safety of our employees, passengers and anyone who interacts with our railroad has always been Metra’s top priority. Before the start of every train run or work assignment in our shops and in the field, our employees conduct job and safety briefings. These briefings ensure that each employee understands the task at hand, their assigned role as well as the safety procedures that will be used, keeping safety at the top of their minds as they go about their work day.
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Franklin Park Fest and Railroad Daze
Take the family to view Metra and freight trains on Saturday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Franklin Park Fest. Attendees will be able to walk on and view the interiors of the trains during this free annual event. For more information, click here.
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Take Metra to Chicago's Blues Festival
Enjoy a concert by Chicago's own Mavis Staples and other top blues musicians at the world's largest free blues festival in Millennium Park. For more information, click here.
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Spring Awakening
Chicago's largest EDM festival returns, armed with some of the biggest DJs and electronic acts in the world. This year, Deadmau5, Afrojack, Kaskade and Steve Aoki are among the acts headlining the stages in Chicago's Addams/Medill Park. For more information, click here.
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Metra Board of Directors meeting
The June meeting of the Metra Board of Directors will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the 13th floor board room of Metra headquarters, 547 W. Jackson. Go here to see the agenda two days before the meeting and a webcast the day of the meeting.
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Celebrate "Dump the Pump" Day
Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association, the 2018 National Dump the Pump Day is a day that encourages people to ride public transportation and to take them where they need to go, instead of driving a car. For more information, click here.
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World's Largest Block Party
Old St. Pat’s Church hosts the 34th annual World’s Largest Block Party in the West Loop just a few blocks from Ogilvie Transportation Center and Chicago Union Station. It's a fantastic summer weekend of great music, food and fun! All ages welcomed! Funds raised support Old St. Patrick's social justice initiatives and outreach programs. For more information, click here.
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Mamby on the Beach
Chicago’s only beachside summer music festival celebrates its fourth year on the grassy fields and sand-swept coastline of Oakwood Beach in Chicago's historic Bronzeville neighborhood. For more information, click here.
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Country Lake Shake
For country music fans in Chicago, there's no bigger event than the Country LakeShake Festival on Northerly Island. Headliners at this year's fest include Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley and Florida Georgia Line. For more information, click here.
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